Ross’ Troubles Are No Mystery to Vermeil

Dick Vermeil, a well-documented case of coaching burnout, empathizes with Bobby Ross, who recently resigned as Detroit Lion coach for apparently the same reasons.

“You get to the point where you care so much and you carry the burden on your shoulders for everything,” Vermeil told Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post. “That’s the way it was for me in Philadelphia and I’m sure that’s how it was for Bobby in Detroit.

“When I came back [to the Rams] I was older, more mature, a better delegator and I had better players. Bobby Ross was a double Type A personality. When you’re like that, the fire always needs fuel, and sooner or later you run out.”

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Trivia time: Which Pacific 10 schools share the dubious distinction of having finished 0-8 in final conference football standings?

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Oh, no, not that: Bud Geracie in the San Jose Mercury News: “Suggestion from sign-carrying political protester in Florida: ‘Let the BCS Decide.’ ”

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More Geracie: “Al Davis might be going too far when he says the 49ers’ salary cap transgressions were ‘worse than gambling,’ but it’s hard to bet against a man who dresses like a Vegas regular.”

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Hold your nose: Bernie Lincicome of the Rocky Mountain News writes, “It is always wise to handle boxing as one does dirty laundry on the way to the hamper, at the end of the arm and using only as many fingers as necessary.

“Boxing appeals because it is raw and primitive. Boxing endures because it accepts no order but its own. It is the last frontier of sport. It is the worst game because it touches the worst in us.”

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You said what? Kevin Garnett’s take on the penalties imposed on the Minnesota Timberwolves by Commissioner David Stern:

“Frustrated is when you pull your hair out. I ain’t got no hair, so I ain’t really frustrated. It’s aggravating like a thorn in your side. Like something in your teeth that you can’t reach, but you keep reaching your tongue back there, you know?”

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Left out: Jim Armstrong in the Denver Post: “By the numbers: According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, right-handed batters hit .184 off Pedro Martinez last season. They were the lucky ones. Left-handers hit a buck-50 off him.”

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More Armstrong: “I hear Barry Bonds is tearing it up during the major league all-star team’s barnstorming tour of Japan. Which begs the question: How can a guy be so good in September and November and so lousy in October?”

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Happy birthday: Boxing’s original Golden Boy, Art Aragon, turns 73 today. He had an overall record of 88-19-6, with 59 knockouts.

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Trivia answer: Oregon State, 1980, ’95 and ‘97, and Washington State, 1998.

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And finally: Restroom doors, metal lockers, wooden signs and other items from Milwaukee County Stadium were auctioned off Saturday before it is destroyed. The Brewers’ new Miller Park opens in April.

Chris Wiken of Milwaukee spent $5,779 for hall of famer Robin Yount’s blue locker, a “Brewers Boardwalk” sign and several other items.